The Villainous Shizun Is As Beautiful As A Flower

Advertisement

Outside the city, in a quiet forest, Shen Liuxiang found someone at the crossroads.

Behind Zhou Xuanlan was another man with a serious expression, holding a flute. He was his subordinate, Shi Fang.

Shen Liu Xiang looked around vigilantly. “Where are the bugs?”

Zhou Xuanlan pulled him along and walked toward the deep part of the forest. “They’re all inside the barrier.”

As they walked deeper, the light grew dimmer. Shen Liu Xiang listened to rustling sounds around him, growing nervous. His steps involuntarily slowed. “Isn’t it too thrilling to just walk in like this?”

Zhou Xuanlan said, “I’ll let Master adjust first.”

As he spoke, he released Shen Liu Xiang’s hand and raised his other hand, pinching a leaf between his slender fingers.

Shen Liuxiang widened his eyes slightly, seeing a bug covered in long, dark brown hairs crawling on the leaf. It looked energetic, as if it might crawl onto him at any moment.

Shen Liuxiang began to tremble, thinking he should escape, but he felt as if he were frozen in place. He couldn’t move his hands or feet, only standing stiffly. He watched as Zhou Xuanlan approached with the leaf pinched.

“Stop, stop! Don’t come any closer!”

Zhou Xuanlan slowed down a bit and reminded, “Master can run.”

“I can’t move.” Shen Liuxiang’s expression revealed a hint of helplessness.

Advertisement

Seeing the bug, his consciousness hadn’t reacted yet, but his body was already terrified and immobilised.

Even with cultivation at the Harmonization realm, capable of leveling the world with a snap of his fingers, at this moment, his blood was flowing backward, making it difficult to move.

Zhou Xuanlan frowned, using his spiritual energy to lift the leaf and then walked in front of Shen Liuxiang. He took hold of the hand hanging at his side.

His fingers were cool and conveyed a gentle warmth in the cold night. He gently unfolded Shen Liu Xiang’s frozen hand, teaching him how to form hand seals.

“If the bug isn’t on you, use this technique. No matter the bug, it won’t be able to catch up to Master.”

After saying that, their figures suddenly leapt dozens of yards away.

Shen Liuxiang’s gaze lost sight of the bug, and his jumbled thoughts cleared a bit. “But if I suddenly see a bug, I won’t be able to move.”

Zhou Xuanlan said, “I’ll bring Master here a few more times.”

Advertisement

Under the moonlit trees, the night wind blew, causing the leaves to rustle.

Shen Liuxiang’s dark hair was a little messy, stepping on fallen leaves, stumbling back two steps.

After countless repetitions, he had grown accustomed to the sensation, and upon seeing the bug approaching him, he was now able to form hand seals to escape. However, his spiritual power was unstable, causing his spells to frequently dissipate halfway through.

Zhou Xuanlan reached out and supported him. “Are you feeling better, Master?”

Shen Liuxiang nodded with difficulty, looking towards the deep path.

Although he had learned to escape, he still couldn’t summon the strength to fight back when he saw the bugs. His cultivation seemed useless in that instant. The bugs within the barrier were numerous, providing him an opportunity to practice, to see if he could kill a few.

He turned to look at Zhou Xuanlan, his voice trembling. “Come with me.”

Zhou Xuanlan nodded slightly.

Shen Liu Xiang’s nervousness eased a bit. He walked slowly towards the barrier, thinking he was prepared and wouldn’t be so frightened. However, he had overestimated himself.

Affected by the melodies, the bugs became extremely agitated, completely unafraid of humans. The moment he stepped into the barrier, they sensed the intruder and swarmed towards him.

Advertisement

In an instant, Shen Liu Xiang’s sea of consciousness was subjected to a tremendous impact. The deep-seated fear he had buried inside surfaced.

He turned to run but bumped into the person behind him.

“Save me—save me—”

Shen Liu Xiang’s fingertips turned pale as he gripped Zhou Xuanlan’s sleeve. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw countless bugs crawling towards him on the ground. His legs grew weak, and he had to bite his tongue to muster the strength. Worried that the bugs might crawl up his legs, he jumped onto Zhou Xuanlan, regardless of everything else.

“Hurry, quickly take me away!”

Zhou Xuanlan was taken aback, reaching out to support him. “Master, calm down.”

However, Shen Liuxiang couldn’t hear anything. His arms were wrapped around Zhou Xuanlan’s slender neck, clinging to him like a koala.

Tears fell from his already red phoenix eyes.

He buried his face in Zhou Xuanlan’s neck and shoulder, tears moistening the ink-black collar. “No… no more practice! So many bugs are biting me. It hurts so much, it hurts. Save me, please.”

Zhou Xuanlan felt like his heart was being cut with two knives.

Master’s reaction was too extreme; this wasn’t just an ordinary fear of bugs. He remembered the fine wounds covering Master’s body when they were at the Bone-Cleansing Spring. His expression darkened.

After leaving the barrier, Shen Liuxiang took a long time to recover. He held onto Zhou Xuanlan like a life-saving straw, tears falling endlessly like a stream.

After a while, he finally managed to calm down slightly. He let go of Zhou Xuanlan and his eyes, still red from tears, gazed aimlessly. His clothes were disheveled, and he leaned against a tree, feeling utterly drained.

Shen Liuxiang lowered his head, his dark hair covering his facial expression. He softly asked, “Am I really useless?”

They had planned to build up his courage, but when he saw the swarm of bugs, he completely fell apart.

Advertisement

Zhou Xuanlan remained silent for a moment. “Look at me, Master.”

Shen Liu Xiang raised his head in confusion, only to find Zhou Xuanlan suddenly disappeared from his sight. He looked around, about to get up and search, when he heard a voice beside him.

“Disciple is here.”

Shen Liuxiang was taken aback, lowering his head. He saw a small black bug standing on a withered leaf on the ground.

His whole body stiffened, and he instinctively wanted to move back.

The small black bug crawled forward a bit. “Master, it’s me.”

Shen Liuxiang was stunned, his gaze lowered. He saw the bug on the leaf, its entire body jet black, with two small horns on its head. Now it was trying to lift its head, as if attempting to look at him.

He suddenly understood what Zhou Xuanlan meant. His throat tightened, and his body involuntarily moved back a bit.

“You don’t have to do this.”

Noticing that Shen Liuxiang had taken a step back, worried about frightening him further, Zhou Xuanlan lay flat on the leaf, completely still, doing his utmost to reduce his threatening presence. He then spoke in a gentle tone, “Master, please don’t be afraid of me.”

Shen Liuxiang clenched his lips, suppressing the urge to retreat. “I… I won’t run.”

The night wind howled through the forest, rustling the dry leaves on the ground. The small black figure on the leaves swayed unsteadily, as if it might be overturned at any moment.

Seeing this, Shen Liuxiang lifted his trembling hand, exposing a slender, fair wrist. His loose, oversized sleeves draped over the ground, offering shelter from the wind to the fragile little black bug.

His voice trembled. “Change back.”

Zhou Xuanlan shook his head. “I want to crawl onto Master’s hand.”

Hearing that, Shen Liuxiang’s tightly knit eyebrows quivered. His fear of the bug was making him want to flee, yet it was Zhou Xuanlan, and he continued to watch despite the redness in his eyes.

In the end, he reached out with one hand to shield the small bug from the wind and extended his other trembling hand.

It was Zhou Xuanlan; he didn’t need to be afraid.

Climbing along his slender white fingers, the small black bug slowly made its way up.

Shen Liuxiang’s body trembled slightly, and he unconsciously bit his lip. The vermilion blood stained his lip, making his pale complexion even paler.

The icy-cold and delicate sensation moved over his skin.

A sense of familiarity washed over him, making Shen Liuxiang’s scalp tingle. He felt on the verge of breaking down into sobs and screams at any moment.

Zhou Xuanlan had been observing his expression by tilting his head upward. Seeing his reaction, Zhou Xuanlan obediently halted his steps, staying still on Shen Liuxiang’s fingertip. He then gently shook his head.

“Master, look at the two horns on top of my head. Even if I turn into a bug, I’m still the king of all insects.”

The sensation of crawling vanished, and Shen Liuxiang’s pallor slightly improved. Hearing Zhou Xuanlan’s words, he pulled his hand back a bit. He focused on the two horns on Zhou Xuanlan’s head, with a few forks in certain places, giving them an intricate and elegant appearance.

Shen Liu Xiang thought of the black scales on Zhou Xuanlan’s body. After a moment, he cautiously glanced around, then asked in a hushed voice, “Are these your dragon horns?”

Zhou Xuanlan replied, “Right now, they’re bug horns.”

Shen Liu Xiang paused for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter. As he continued to gaze at the small black bug in his hand, the fear in his heart gradually transformed into a subtle and complex feeling.

He even found it a bit cute.

“Move a bit, let me have a look.”

Zhou Xuanlan climbed back up, reaching his wrist. He originally intended to crawl onto Shen Liu Xiang’s arm, but fearing it might be too overwhelming for Master, he crawled back down and eventually circled around Shen Liu Xiang’s palm.

After a while, seeming to have become dizzy from all the circling, he nearly slipped through Shen Liu Xiang’s fingers.

Shen Liu Xiang quickly extended his other hand to catch it. “That’s enough.”

He looked at Zhou Xuanlan, his eyes gently flickering, and a faint smile graced his lips. He seemed to have regained his liveliness.

“Let’s try going back into the barrier again.”

As the moonlight gradually dimmed, Shi Fang stood like a statue at the crossroads, hugging a flute. He sensed a surge of spiritual power fluctuations from the forest, indicating that the barrier had been broken. He moved slightly, turning his head to wait.

Before long, a figure appeared in his line of sight.

Shi Fang asked, “Where has the Master gone?”

As he spoke, he saw Shen Liuxiang carefully spread open his palm. A small black bug revealed itself, moving slightly and producing a languid voice.

“Why are you still here? What are you doing?”

Shi Fang was astonished, his expression showing disbelief. “Master… Master?!”

Zhou Xuanlan said softly, “This doesn’t concern you anymore, go back.”

Subsequently, Shen Liuxiang led Zhou Xuanlan away. After they left, Shi Fang remained in a daze, his expression peculiar.

Among the demon race, the strength of one’s bloodline was highly regarded. The more powerful the bloodline, the more inherent pride a demon held. They wouldn’t allow themselves to transform into weaker minor demons; that would be a blatant insult.

The Master possessed the most powerful bloodline among demons. How could he willingly transform into what seemed like a vulnerable little bug?

Could it be for the person in front of him?!

Shi Fang stared blankly at Shen Liuxiang, and his gaze suddenly changed.

T/N: …can this be Zhou Xuanlan’s equivalent of ‘would you love me if I was a worm?’ ????